Rockabilly Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==History== {{see also|Origins of rock and roll}} There was a close relationship between [[blues]] and [[country music]] from the very earliest country recordings in the 1920s. The first nationwide country hit was "[[Wreck of the Old 97#Ballad|Wreck of the Old 97]]",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97song.html|title=Old97song page|publisher=Blueridgeinstitute.org|access-date=May 22, 2014|archive-date=December 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206151824/http://blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97song.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97.html|title=Old97 page|publisher=Blueridgeinstitute.org|access-date=May 22, 2014|archive-date=December 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209090006/http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> backed with "The Prisoner's Song", which also became quite popular. [[Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)|Jimmie Rodgers]], the "first true country star", was known as the "Blue Yodeler", and most of his songs used blues-based [[chord progression]]s, although with very different instrumentation and sound from the recordings of his black contemporaries like [[Blind Lemon Jefferson]] and [[Bessie Smith]].<ref>''Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music'' by Greil Marcus 1982 E.P. Dutton p.291</ref> During the 1930s and 1940s, two new sounds emerged. [[Bob Wills]] and his [[Texas Playboys]] were the leading proponents of [[Western Swing]], which combined country singing and [[steel guitar]] with [[big band]] [[jazz]] influences and [[horn section]]s; Wills's music found massive popularity. Recordings of Wills's from the mid 1940s to the early 1950s include "two beat jazz" rhythms, "jazz choruses", and guitar work that preceded early rockabilly recordings.<ref>''San Antonio Rose: The Life and Music of Bob Wills''. Charles R. Townsend. 1976. University of Illinois. Page 289. {{ISBN|0-252-00470-1}}</ref> Wills is quoted as saying "Rock and Roll? Why, man, that's the same kind of music we've been playin' since 1928!... But it's just basic rhythm and has gone by a lot of different names in my time. It's the same, whether you just follow a drum beat like in Africa or surround it with a lot of instruments. The rhythm's what's important."<ref>''San Antonio Rose: The Life and Music of Bob Wills''. Charles R. Townsend. 1976. University of Illinois. Page 269. {{ISBN|0-252-00470-1}}</ref> After blues artists like [[Meade Lux Lewis]] and [[Pete Johnson (musician)|Pete Johnson]] launched a nationwide [[boogie-woogie (music)|boogie]] craze starting in 1938, country artists like [[Moon Mullican]], the [[Delmore Brothers]], [[Tennessee Ernie Ford]], [[Speedy West]], [[Jimmy Bryant]], and the [[Maddox Brothers and Rose]] began recording what was then known as "hillbilly boogie", which consisted of "hillbilly" vocals and instrumentation with a boogie bass line.<ref name="ReferenceB">''Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock & Roll'' by Nick Tosches 1996 Da Capo Press</ref> After [[World War II]], The Maddox Brothers and Rose were at "the leading edge of rockabilly with the slapped bass that Fred Maddox had developed".<ref name="Npr.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2003/honkytonks/index.html|title=NPR's series of chronicles on American Music|publisher=Npr.org|access-date=May 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914044731/http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2003/honkytonks/index.html|archive-date=September 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="NPR podcast">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_wmref.php?prgCode=ME&showDate=15-Aug-2003&segNum=14&mediaPref=WM&sauid=U812704391154009187473&getUnderwriting=1|title=NPR podcast|publisher=Npr.org|access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> They had shifted into higher gear leaning toward a whimsical honky-tonk feel, with a heavy, manic bottom end and high volume.<ref>''Workin' Man Blues: Country Music in California''. Gerald W. Haslan. University of California Press. 1999. Pages 170, 171. {{ISBN|0-520-21800-0}}.</ref> The Maddoxes were known for their lively, antic-filled shows, which were an influential novelty for white listeners and musicians alike.<ref>''Workin' Man Blues: Country Music in California''. Gerald W. Haslan. University of California Press. 1999. Page 170. {{ISBN|0-520-21800-0}}.</ref><ref>''Workin' Man Blues: Country Music in California''. Gerald W. Haslan. University of California Press. 1999. Page 132. {{ISBN|0-520-21800-0}}.</ref> Along with country, swing and boogie influences, [[jump blues]] artists such as [[Wynonie Harris]] and [[Roy Brown (blues musician)|Roy Brown]], and [[electric blues]] acts such as [[Howlin' Wolf]], [[Junior Parker]], and [[Arthur Crudup]], influenced the development of rockabilly.<ref name=country>Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, ''All Music Guide to Country: The Definitive Guide to Country Music'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=LdxCPLZAExsC&pg=PA912 page 912] {{dead link|date=October 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The [[Memphis blues]] musician Junior Parker and his electric blues band, Little Junior's Blue Flames, featuring [[Pat Hare]] on the guitar, were a major influence on the rockabilly style, particularly with their songs "[[:File:Little Junior's Blue Flames - Love My Baby.ogg|Love My Baby]]" and "[[Mystery Train]]" in 1953.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p112422|pure_url=no|label=Junior Parker}}</ref><ref name="gillett1984">{{cite book|last=Gillett|first=Charlie|title=The sound of the city: the rise of rock and roll|year=1984|publisher=[[Pantheon Books]]|location=New York|isbn=0394726383|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lkwUAQAAIAAJ|edition=Rev.|access-date=July 6, 2012|quote="Love My Baby" in particular featured some blistering guitar playing by Pat Hare, which inspired the rockabilly style discussed elsewhere.}}</ref> [[Zeb Turner]]'s February 1953 recording of "Jersey Rock" with its mix of musical styles, lyrics about music and dancing, and guitar solo,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/t/turn7000.htm|title=RCS page for Zeb Turner|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> is another example of the mixing of musical genres in the first half of the 1950s. [[Bill Monroe]] is known as the Father of [[Bluegrass music|Bluegrass]], a specific style of country music. Many of his songs were in blues form, while others took the form of folk ballads, parlor songs, or waltzes. Bluegrass was a staple of country music in the early 1950s and is often mentioned as an influence in the development of rockabilly, in part owing to its favoring of fast tempos.<ref>''Bluegrass Breakdown: The Making of the Old Southern Sound'' by Robert Cantwell 1992 Da Capo Press {{ISBN|0-252-07117-4}}</ref> The [[Honky Tonk]] sound, which "tended to focus on working-class life, with frequently tragic themes of lost love, adultery, loneliness, alcoholism, and self-pity", also included songs of energetic, uptempo Hillbilly Boogie. Some of the better known musicians who recorded and performed these songs are: the [[Delmore Brothers]], the [[Maddox Brothers and Rose]], [[Merle Travis]], [[Hank Williams]], [[Hank Snow]], and Tennessee Ernie Ford.<ref>"The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll 1946–1954" 2004 Universal Music Enterprises</ref> ===Tennessee=== Sharecroppers' sons [[Carl Perkins]] and his brothers Jay and Clayton, along with drummer [[W. S. Holland]], had established themselves as one of the hottest bands on the [[honky-tonk]] circuit around [[Jackson, Tennessee]]. Most of the songs they played were country standards with a faster rhythm.<ref>''The Rockabilly Legends: They Called It Rockabilly Long Before They Called It Rock and Roll'' by Jerry Naylor and Steve Halliday {{ISBN|978-1-4234-2042-2}}</ref> It was here that Carl started composing his first songs. While playing, he would watch the dance floor to see what the audience preferred and adjust his compositions to suit, writing them down only when he was sure they were finished. Carl sent numerous demos to New York record companies with no success; the producers believed the Perkins' style of rhythmically-driven country was not commercially viable. That would change in 1955<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/carlperkins/biography|title=Rolling Stone : Carl Perkins: Biography|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=April 9, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070409051922/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/carlperkins/biography|archive-date=April 9, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/CarlPerkins.html|title=RAB Hall of Fame: Carl Perkins|website=Rockabillyhall.com|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> after recording the song "[[Blue Suede Shoes]]" (recorded December 19, 1955) on [[Sam Phillips]]' Memphis-based [[Sun Records]]. Later made more famous by [[Elvis Presley]], Perkins' original version was an early rock 'n' roll standard.<ref name="pc8">{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19756/ |title=Show 8 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies. [Part 2] |show=8}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.macca-central.com/macca-news/morenews.php?id=1157|title=List new stories MACCA-Central, The Paul McCartney FUNsite|website=Macca-central.com|access-date=August 22, 2015|archive-date=February 13, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213055837/http://www.macca-central.com/macca-news/morenews.php?id=1157|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the early 1950s, there was heavy competition among [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] area bands playing an audience-savvy mix of covers, original songs, and hillbilly flavored blues. One source mentions both local disc jockey [[Dewey Phillips]] and producer Sam Phillips as being influential.<ref>''The Blue Moon Boys: The Story of Elvis Presley's Band''. Ken Burke and Dan Griffin. 2006. Chicago Review Press. Pages 8, 9. {{ISBN|1-55652-614-8}}</ref> An early radio show on [[KWEM-LP|KWEM]] in [[West Memphis, Arkansas]] quickly became a mix of blues, country and early rockabilly.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Paul Burlison|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/PaulBurlison.html|access-date=June 27, 2021|website=www.rockabillyhall.com}}</ref><ref name=":1">Billboard April 3, 1999. "Modern Rockabilly Reaches Back Decades for Its Roots". Page 89.</ref> The Saturday Night Jamboree was a Memphis stage show held every Saturday night at the Goodwyn Institute Auditorium in downtown Memphis, Tennessee from 1953–1954. The Jamboree shows were sometimes broadcast live on KWEM. A number of future notables performed there, including Elvis Presley.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kwemradio.com |title=KWEM Radio |publisher=KWEM Radio |access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> The performers often experimented with new sounds in their dressing rooms, incorporating the best ones into their shows.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/satnightjamboree.html|title=Saturday Night Jamboree - Memphis|website=Rockabillyhall.com|access-date=January 8, 2018|archive-date=December 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221071111/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/satnightjamboree.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1951 and 1952, brothers [[Johnny Burnette|Johnny]] and [[Dorsey Burnette]], as well as [[Paul Burlison]], played a blend of blues, country, and rockabilly at live shows in and around the Memphis area.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> in 1953, they played with Doc McQueen's [[Swing (music)|swing]] band at the Hideaway Club for a time. While there, they wrote a song called "Rock Billy Boogie", named after the Burnette brothers' sons Rocky and Billy ([[Rocky Burnette]] later became a rock and roll star in his own right), although they did not record the song until 1957.<ref name="rockabillyhall:PB">{{cite web|title=Paul Burlison|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/PaulBurlison.html|access-date=January 8, 2018|website=Rockabillyhall.com}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web|title=Burnettes page on RCS|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/b/burn4200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713011044/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/b/burn4200.htm|archive-date=July 13, 2012}}</ref> The Burnettes disliked the popular music McQueen played, so they began playing smaller shows on their own, focusing on their budding rockabilly sound.<ref name="rockabillyhall:PB" /> The trio released "[[Train Kept A-Rollin']]" in 1956, listed by [[Rolling Stone (magazine)|''Rolling Stone'']] magazine as one of the [[The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|top 500 rock songs of all time]]. Many consider this 1956 recording to be the first intentional use of a [[Distortion (music)|distortion]] effect on a rock song, which was played by lead guitarist Paul Burlison.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} ===Elvis Presley=== [[File:Elvis Presley promoting Jailhouse Rock.jpg|thumb|upright=0.95|alt=A black and white photograph of Elvis Presley standing between two sets of bars|[[Elvis Presley]] in a promotion shot for ''[[Jailhouse Rock (film)|Jailhouse Rock]]'' in 1957]] {{Listen |filename=Thatsallright.ogg |title=Elvis Presley - "That's All Right" (1954) |description=[[Elvis Presley]]'s "[[That's All Right]]" (1954), an early rockabilly song. It was a cover of [[Arthur Crudup]]'s 1947 [[blues]] song of the same name. |pos=right }}[[Elvis Presley]]'s first recordings took place at Sun Records, a small independent label run by record producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee.<ref name="pc7" /> For several years, Phillips had been recording and releasing performances by blues and country musicians in the area. He also ran a service allowing anyone to come in off the street and for a modest fee, record themselves on a two-song vanity record. One young man who came to record himself as a surprise for his mother, he claimed, was Elvis Presley.<ref>''Newsweek'' August 18, 1997 "Good Rockin' page 54</ref> Presley made enough of an impression that Phillips deputized guitarist [[Scotty Moore]], who then enlisted bassist [[Bill Black]], both from the Starlight Wranglers, a local western swing band, to work with the young man.<ref name="Good Rockin page 55">''Newsweek'' August 18, 1997 "Good Rockin' page 55</ref> The trio rehearsed dozens of songs, from traditional country to gospel.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=March 31, 2003|title=The King Finds His Voice|magazine=Time|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004513,00.html|url-status=dead|access-date=May 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012181253/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004513,00.html|archive-date=October 12, 2007}}</ref> During a break on July 5, 1954, Elvis started playing "[[That's All Right Mama]]", a 1946 blues song by Arthur Crudup, and Moore and Black joined in. After several takes, Phillips had a satisfactory recording. "That's All Right" was released on July 19, 1954.<ref name="Good Rockin page 55" /><ref>elvis.com</ref> Presley's version of "That's All Right Mama" melded country, a [[genre]] associated with European-American culture, and rhythm & blues, a genre associated with [[African-American culture]]. The resulting track was denied airplay on both country radio stations and R&B stations for being "too black" and "too white", respectively. Country deejays told Phillips they would be "run out of town" for playing it.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} When the song was finally played by one rogue deejay, Dewey Phillips,<ref name="pc7">{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19754/m1/ |title=Show 7 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies. [Part 1] |show=7}}</ref> Presley's recording created so much excitement it was described as having waged war on segregated radio stations.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} All of Presley's early singles featured a blues song on one side and a country song on the other, both sung in the same genre-blending style.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bsnpubs.com |title=Both Sides Now Publications' Home Page |publisher=Bsnpubs.com |access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> Presley's Sun recordings feature his vocals and rhythm guitar, Bill Black's percussive slapped bass, and Scotty Moore on an amplified guitar. [[Slapping (music)|Slap bass]] had been a staple of both [[western swing]] and [[Hillbilly music|hillbilly boogie]] since the 1940s. Scotty Moore described his playing style as an amalgamation of techniques he had picked up from other guitarists over the years.<ref name="ReferenceA">Elvis Presley Classic Albums DVD by Eagle Eye Media EE19007 NTSC Peter Guralnick</ref> Presley's unique musical style rocketed him into the spotlight, and drew masses of followers.<ref>Helen McNamara, June 9, 1956, Issue Saturday Night Magazine</ref> Nobody was sure what to call Presley's music, so Elvis was described as "The Hillbilly Cat" and "King of Western Bop". Over the next year, Elvis would record four more singles for Sun. Rockabilly recorded by artists prior to Presley can be described as being in the long-standing country style of Rockabilly. Presley's recordings are described by some as quintessential rockabilly for their true union of country and R&B, which can be described as the true realization of the Rockabilly genre. In addition to the fusion of distinct genres, Presley's recordings contain some traditional as well as new traits: "nervously up tempo" (as [[Peter Guralnick]] describes it), with slap bass, fancy guitar picking, much echo, shouts of encouragement, and vocals full of histrionics such as hiccups, stutters, and swoops from falsetto to bass and back again.<ref>Miller, Jim (editor). ''The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll'' (1976). New York: Rolling Stone Press/Random House. {{ISBN|0-394-40327-4}}. ("Rockabilly," chapter written by Guralnick, Peter. pp. 64–67)</ref><ref>''Sun Records: An Oral History'' by John Floyd 1998 Avon Books p. 29</ref> In 1955, Elvis asked [[D.J. Fontana]], the drummer for the [[Louisiana Hayride]], to join him for future dates.<ref>''Newsweek'' August 18, 1997 "Good Rockin' page 57</ref> By that time, many rockabilly bands were incorporating drums, which distinguished the sound from country music, where they were then uncommon. In the 1956 sessions shortly after Presley's move from Sun Records to RCA Victor, Presley was backed by a band that included Moore, Black, Fontana, and pianist [[Floyd Cramer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/floyd-cramer|title=Floyd Cramer|website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> In 1956, Elvis also acquired vocal backup via the [[The Jordanaires|Jordanaires]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jordanaires.net/Elvis/tribute.htm|title=Elvis tribute|website=Jordanaires.net|access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> ===North of the Mason-Dixon Line=== [[File:BillHaley.JPG|thumb|[[Bill Haley and His Comets]] during a TV appearance.]] {{Listen |filename=Bill Haley and His Comets - Rock Around the Clock.ogg |title=Bill Haley and His Comets - "Rock Around the Clock" (1954) |description=[[Bill Haley and His Comets]]' "[[Rock Around the Clock]]" (1954) is credited with popularizing rockabilly music. |post=right }} In 1951 a [[western swing]] bandleader named [[Bill Haley (musician)|Bill Haley]] recorded a version of "[[Rocket 88]]" with his group, the [[Saddlemen]]. It is considered one of the earliest recognized rockabilly recordings.<ref>''Sh-Boom!: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953–1968)''. Clay Cole, David Hinckley. (Bill Haley & the Saddlemen) at the Twin Bar in Gloucester, New Jersey. page 58.</ref> It was followed by versions of "[[Rock the Joint]]" in 1952, and original works such as "Real Rock Drive" and "[[Crazy Man, Crazy]]", the latter of which reached number 12 on the American [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] chart in 1953.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/h/hale6200.htm|title=RCS-Bill Haley's page|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324085101/http://www.rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/h/hale6200.htm|archive-date=March 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>Often excluded from lists of rockabilly groups, Comets guitarist [[Franny Beecher]] said, "They wanted to play a more basic style than I was used to, more country really, they called it rockabilly." in Bill Haley: The Daddy of Rock and Roll. John Swenson. 1982. Stein and Day. page 60. {{ISBN|0-8128-2909-3}}</ref> On April 12, 1954, Haley, performing with his band as [[Bill Haley and His Comets]], recorded "[[Rock Around the Clock]]" for [[Decca Records]] of New York City. When first released in May 1954, "Rock Around the Clock" made the charts for one week at number 23, and sold 75,000 copies.<ref>{{cite web|date=September 26, 2007|title=Bill Haley Biography|url=http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Haley,_Bill/Biography/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926220555/http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Haley,_Bill/Biography/|archive-date=September 26, 2007}}</ref> In 1955, it was featured in the film ''[[Blackboard Jungle]]'', resulting in a resurgence of sales.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Melik|first=James|date=May 2, 2004|title=Rock profits and boogie woogie blues|language=en-GB|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3622285.stm|access-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> The song hit No. 1, held that position for eight weeks, and was the number two song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 1955.<ref name="billboard1955">{{cite web|title=Billboard year end charts 1955|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+Hot+100&g=Year-end+Singles&year=1955|access-date=January 8, 2018|website=Billboard.com}}</ref> The recording was, until the late 1990s, recognized by ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as having the highest sales claim for a pop vinyl recording, with an "unaudited" claim of 25 million copies sold.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rock Around the Clock Tribute|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/RockClockTribute.html|access-date=January 8, 2018|website=Rockabillyhall.com|archive-date=April 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430162450/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/RockClockTribute.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Maine native and Connecticut resident [[Bill Flagg]] began using the term rockabilly for his combination of rock 'n' roll and hillbilly music as early as 1953.<ref name="rockabillyhall.com">{{cite web|title=Bill Flag at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BillFlagg1.html|access-date=January 1, 2009|archive-date=October 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006235311/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BillFlagg1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> He cut several songs for Tetra Records in 1956 and 1957.<ref>{{cite web|title=RCS - Bill Flag page|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/f/flag1000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714195012/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/f/flag1000.htm|archive-date=July 14, 2012}}</ref> "Go Cat Go" went into the National Billboard charts in 1956, and his "Guitar Rock" is cited as classic rockabilly.<ref name="rockabillyhall.com" /> In 1953, 13-year-old [[Janis Martin]] was performing at the Old Dominion Barn Dance on [[WRVA (AM)|WRVA]] out of Richmond, Virginia.<ref>[http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whoweare/exhibits/radio/wrva.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103084500/http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whoweare/exhibits/radio/wrva.htm|date=January 3, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=WRVA Old Dominion Barn Dance|url=http://www.hillbilly-music.com/programs/story/index.php?prog=300|access-date=May 22, 2014|publisher=hillbilly-music.com}}</ref> Martin performed a mix of country songs for the show peppered with [[rhythm and blues]] hits in a style that has been described as "proto-rockabilly".<ref name=":3" /> She later stated, "the audience didn't know what to make of it. They didn't hardly allow electric instruments, and I was doing some songs by black artists."<ref name=":3">{{cite web|title=Janis Martin - Rockabilly Central|url=http://www.rockabilly.net/articles/janis.shtml|access-date=May 22, 2014|publisher=Rockabilly.net}}</ref> ===Cash, Perkins and Presley=== In 1954, both [[Johnny Cash]] and [[Carl Perkins]] auditioned for [[Sam Phillips]]. Cash hoped to record gospel music, but Phillips was not interested. In October 1954, Carl Perkins recorded Perkins's original song "[[Movie Magg]]", which was released in March 1955 on Phillips's all-country label Flip.<ref>{{cite web|title=RCS - Flip label page|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/labels/f/f461.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713180341/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/labels/f/f461.htm|archive-date=July 13, 2012|access-date=May 22, 2014|publisher=Rcs-discography.com}}</ref> Cash returned to Sun in 1955 with his song "[[Hey, Porter]]", and his group the Tennessee Two, consisting of [[Marshall Grant]] on bass, and [[Luther Perkins]] (no relation to Carl Perkins) on lead guitar. This song and another Cash original, ''[[Cry! Cry! Cry!]]'' were released in July.<ref>{{cite web|title=RCS - Johnny Cash page|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/c/cash3600.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316184646/http://www.rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/c/cash3600.htm|archive-date=March 16, 2010|access-date=May 22, 2014|publisher=Rcs-discography.com}}</ref> ''Cry! Cry! Cry!'' managed to crack Billboard's Top 20, peaking at No. 14.<ref>{{cite web|title=Johnny Cash biography|url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/cash_johnny/bio.jhtml|access-date=January 8, 2018|website=Cmt.com}}</ref> Presley's second and third singles were not as successful as his first.<ref>Elvis Presley Classic Albums DVD by Eagle Eye Media EE19007 NTSC Ernst Jorgenen Historian and RCA producer</ref> His fourth release, "Baby, Let's Play House", was released in May 1955, and peaked at number five on the national Billboard Country Chart.<ref name=elviscomau>{{cite web|url=http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvis_presley_sun_recordings.shtml|title=Elvis Presley: How Sun Records boss Sam Phillips discovered a star in 1954 - Elvis Biography|website=Elvis.com.au|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> In August, Sun released Elvis's versions of "[[I Forgot to Remember to Forget]]" and "Mystery Train". "Remember to Forget" spent a total of 39 weeks on the Billboard Country Chart, five at the number one spot. "Mystery Train", peaked at number 11.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} Through most of 1955, Cash, Perkins, Presley, and other Louisiana Hayride performers toured through Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi. Sun released two more Perkins songs in October: "Gone, Gone, Gone" and "Let the Jukebox Keep on Playing".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/p/perk1000.htm|title=RCS-Carl Perkins page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717234900/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/p/perk1000.htm|archive-date=July 17, 2012}}</ref> Perkins and Presley in particular competed as the premier rockabilly artists.<ref>''The Blue Moon Boys: The Story of Elvis Presley's Band''. Ken Burke and Dan Griffin. 2006. Chicago Review Press. page 88. {{ISBN|1-55652-614-8}}</ref> 1955 was also the year in which [[Chuck Berry]]'s hillbilly-influenced single "[[Maybellene]]" reached high in the charts as a crossover hit, and [[Bill Haley & His Comets|Bill Haley and His Comets]]' "Rock Around the Clock" was not only number one for eight weeks, but was the number two record for the year.<ref name="billboard1955" /> Rock and roll in general, and rockabilly in particular, was at [[Critical mass (sociodynamics)|critical mass]] and the next year, Elvis Presley's ''Heartbreak Hotel'' and ''Don't Be Cruel'' would top the Billboard Charts as well.<ref name="billboard1956">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+Hot+100&g=Year-end+Singles&year=1956|title=Billboard year end charts 1956|website=Billboard.com|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> ===Rockabilly goes national: 1956=== In January 1956, three now-classic rockabilly songs were released: "[[Folsom Prison Blues]]" by Johnny Cash, and "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins, both on Sun; and "[[Heartbreak Hotel]]" by Elvis Presley on RCA Victor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atomicplatters.com/more.php?id=75_0_1_80_M|title=CONELRAD - ATOMIC PLATTERS: Uranium by The Commodores [1955]|website=Atomicplatters.com|access-date=January 8, 2018|archive-date=June 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607135029/http://www.atomicplatters.com/more.php?id=75_0_1_80_M|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://globaldogproductions.info|title=50s,60s discographies|publisher=Globaldogproductions.info|access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> Perkins's "Blue Suede Shoes" sold 20,000 records a day at one point, and it was the first million-selling country song to cross over to both rhythm and blues and pop charts.<ref name="NPR story on Blue Suede Shoes">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1070070|title=The Story Of 'Blue Suede Shoes'|website=Npr.org|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> Perkins first performed "Blue Suede Shoes" on television March 17 on ''[[Ozark Jubilee]]'', a weekly ABC-TV program. From 1955 to 1960, the live national radio and TV show from [[Springfield, Missouri]] featured [[Brenda Lee]] and [[Wanda Jackson]] and guests included [[Gene Vincent]] and other rockabilly artists.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} On February 11, Presley appeared on the Dorsey Brothers' ''[[Stage Show]]'' for the third time, singing "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel". Both songs topped the ''Billboard'' charts.<ref name="billboard1956" /> Sun and RCA were not the only record labels releasing rockabilly music in 1956. In March Columbia released "[[Honky Tonk Man (song)|Honky Tonk Man]]" by [[Johnny Horton]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/h/hort1000.htm|title=RCS-Johny Horton page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315204756/http://www.rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/h/hort1000.htm|archive-date=March 15, 2010}}</ref> King put out "Seven Nights to Rock" by Moon Mullican, Mercury issued "Rockin' Daddy" by [[Eddie Bond]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/b/bond1000.htm|title=RCS - Eddie Bond page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317113514/http://www.rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/b/bond1000.htm|archive-date=March 17, 2010}}</ref> and Starday released [[Bill Mack (songwriter)|Bill Mack]]'s "Fat Woman".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/m/mack1000.htm|title=RCS - Bill Mack page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Two young men from Texas made their record debuts in April 1956: [[Buddy Holly]] on the Decca label, and, as a member of the Teen Kings, [[Roy Orbison]] with "Ooby Dooby" on the New Mexico/Texas based Je-wel label.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/labels/j/j624.htm|title=RCS - Je-wel label page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Holly's big hits would not be released until 1957. Janis Martin was only fifteen years old when RCA issued a record with "Will You, Willyum" and the Martin-composed "Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll", which sold over 750,000 copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabilly.net/articles/janis.shtml|title=Janis Martin - Rockabilly Central|website=Rockabilly.net|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> King records issued a new disk by forty-seven-year-old Moon Mullican: "[[Seven Nights to Rock]]" and "Rock 'N' Roll Mr. Bullfrog". Twenty more sides were issued by various labels including 4 Star, Blue Hen, Dot, Cold Bond, Mercury, Reject, Republic, Rodeo, and Starday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/search.php?type=date&key=Apr.&key2=1956|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121203060141/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/search.php?type=date&key=Apr.&key2=1956|url-status=dead|title=RCS Search Results|date=December 3, 2012|archive-date=December 3, 2012|website=Archive.is|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> In April and May 1956, [[The Rock and Roll Trio]] played on [[Ted Mack (television host)|Ted Mack]]'s [[Original Amateur Hour|TV talent show]] in New York City. They won all three times and guaranteed them a finalist position in the September supershow.<ref name=rockabillyhall:PB/> Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps' recording of "[[Be-Bop-A-Lula]]" was released on June 2, 1956, backed by "Woman Love". Within twenty-one days it sold over two hundred thousand records, stayed at the top of national pop and country charts for twenty weeks, and sold more than a million copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/v/vinc5000.htm|title=RCS - Gene Vincent page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326065652/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/v/vinc5000.htm|archive-date=March 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/pics/d04/4404.htm|title=RCS - pics of Gene Vincent recordings|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>The Rockabilly Legends; They Called It Rockabilly Long Before they Called It Rock and Roll by Jerry Naylor and Steve Halliday page 220 {{ISBN|978-1-4234-2042-2}}</ref> These same musicians would have two more releases in 1956, followed by another in January 1957. "Queen of Rockabilly" Wanda Jackson's first record came out in July, "I Gotta Know" on the Capitol label; followed by "Hot Dog That Made Him Mad" in November. Capitol would release nine more records by Jackson, some with songs she had written herself, before the 1950s were over.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/mar/jackson/|title=NPR : Wanda Jackson, Rockabilly Queen|website=[[NPR]]|date=February 21, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030221041151/http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/mar/jackson/|archive-date=February 21, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/j/jack7000.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713131548/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/j/jack7000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 13, 2012|title=RCS - Wanda Jackson page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> The first record by [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], who would later be known as a pioneer of rockabilly and rock and roll, came out on December 22, 1956, and featured his version of "[[Crazy Arms]]" and "End of the Road".<ref>[http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/pics/d02/2539.htm]{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Lewis would have big hits in 1957 with his version of "[[Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On]]", issued in May, and "[[Great Balls Of Fire]]" on Sun.<ref name="pc8" /><ref>[http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/pics/d02/2540.htm]{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> ===Late 1950s and beyond === There were thousands of musicians who recorded songs in the rockabilly style, and many record companies released rockabilly records.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/index.htm|title=RCS front page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312074642/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/index.htm|archive-date=March 12, 2010}}</ref> Some enjoyed major chart success and were important influences on future rock musicians. Sun also hosted performers, such as [[Billy Lee Riley]], [[Sonny Burgess]], [[Charlie Feathers]], and [[Warren Smith (singer)|Warren Smith]]. There were also several female performers like Wanda Jackson who recorded rockabilly music long after the other ladies, Janis Martin, the female Elvis [[Jo Ann Campbell]], and [[Alis Lesley]], who also sang in the rockabilly style. Mel Kimbrough -"Slim", recorded "I Get Lonesome Too"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/k/kimb5000.htm|title=RCS - Mel Kimbrough page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310195903/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/k/kimb5000.htm|archive-date=March 10, 2010}}</ref> and "Ha Ha, Hey Hey" for Glenn Records along with "Love in West Virginia" and "Country Rock Sound" for Checkmate a division of Caprice Records.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seabear.se/Check-Mate.html|title=Check-Mate|website=Seabear.se|access-date=August 22, 2015}}</ref> [[Gene Summers]], a Dallas native and [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]] inductee, released his classic Jan/Jane 45s in 1958–59. He continued to record rockabilly music well into 1964 with the release of "Alabama Shake".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/s/summ1000.htm|title=RCS - Gene Summers page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629234000/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/s/summ1000.htm|archive-date=June 29, 2012}}</ref> In 2005, Summers's most popular recording, ''[[School of Rock 'n Roll]]'', was selected by Bob Solly and [[Record Collector]] Magazine as one of the "100 Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Records".<ref>Solly, Bob. (2005). ''100 Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Records''. Diamond Publishing Company LTD, UK. {{ISSN|1746-8051}}-02. UPC 9-771746805006.</ref> Tommy "[[Sleepy LaBeef]]" LaBeff recorded rockabilly tunes on a number of labels from 1957 through 1963.<ref name="variety">{{Cite web|last=Willman|first=Chris|date=December 26, 2019|title=Sleepy LaBeef, Enduring Rockabilly Cult Hero, Dies at 84|url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/sleepy-labeef-dead-dies-rockabilly-singer-1203452304/|access-date=December 27, 2019|website=Variety}}</ref> Rockabilly pioneers the Maddox Brothers and Rose continued to record for decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/m/madd6200.htm|title=RCS - Maddox Brothers page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719051433/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/m/madd6200.htm|archive-date=July 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/m/madd4900.htm|title=RCS - Rose Maddox page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> However, none of these artists had any major hits and their influence would not be felt until decades later.<ref>Morrison, Craig. ''Go Cat Go!: Rockabilly Music and its Makers''. (1996). Illinois. University of Illinois Press. {{ISBN|0-252-06538-7}}</ref> In the summer of 1958 [[Eddie Cochran]] had a chart-topping hit with "[[Summertime Blues]]". Cochran's brief career included only a few more hits, such as "Sitting in the Balcony" released in early 1957, "[[C'mon Everybody]]" released in October 1958, and "[[Somethin' Else (Eddie Cochran song)|Somethin' Else]]" released in July 1959. Then in April 1960, while touring with Gene Vincent in the UK, their taxi crashed into a concrete lamp post, killing Eddie at the young age of 21. The grim coincidence in this all was that his posthumous UK number-one hit was called "[[Three Steps to Heaven (song)|Three Steps to Heaven]]". Rockabilly music enjoyed great popularity in the United States during 1956 and 1957, but radio play declined after 1960. Factors contributing to this decline are usually cited as the 1959 death of [[Buddy Holly]] in an airplane crash (along with [[Ritchie Valens]] and [[the Big Bopper]]), the induction of Elvis Presley into the [[United States Army|army]] in 1958, and a general change in American musical tastes. The style remained popular longer in England, where it attracted a fanatical following right up through the mid-1960s. Rockabilly music cultivated an attitude that assured its enduring appeal to teenagers. This was a combination of rebellion, sexuality, and freedom—a sneering expression of disdain for the workaday world of parents and authority figures. It was the first rock 'n' roll style to be performed primarily by white musicians, thus setting off a cultural revolution that is still reverberating today.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rockabilly|url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=77:187|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012181526/http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=77:187|archive-date=October 12, 2007|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref><ref>''Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music'' by Greil Marcus 1982 E.P. Dutton pp. 154–156, 169</ref> "Rockabilly" deviance from social norms, however, was more symbolic than real; and eventual public professions of faith by aging rockabillies were not uncommon.<ref>''Don't Get Above Your Raisin'', p. 79, Bill C. Malone, 2002, [[University of Illinois Press]], {{ISBN|0-252-02678-0}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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